Operating handle for rotary tools



Patented Dec. 1, 1953 oi iiRAiiNG HANDLE FOit ROTARY roots Kari ueitzscli; York; Pa;

Application November 29, 1547, erial hi0. 788 952 7 Giants. (01. 81- 61 This invention relates to perati'ng handles for rotating tools such as sockets for nuts, machine screw heads 6 the like, or screw driver implements of any desird character'.

An important object of the invention is the provision of an operating handle of this charalcter which will provide, in at least one relatiil'e position of tool and handle, a positive driving connection between the tool andhandle and will also provide tfiioiigh asubstantial angular relation of the tool and handle a reversable ratchet connecti, I 7

Another object f the inv mmn is the pro: vision of a structure of this character which is simple to manufacture coz'iipri'sin'g' a minimum number of arts which can be" readily and duraibl'y constructe'd. v v I These" and other oiijects I attain by the constructi'on shown in th accompanying drawings wherein for the piirpbse r' illustration I have shown a preferred eiiibodiment of my invention and wherein: I

Figure" l is front elevation of a tool handle constructed inaccordance with" invention:

Figure 2 is a' side vat i'ori'v of thlha'ndle illustrating various' positions which may be" assumed by the tool attaching tangi; p v V I Figure 3 is a" s'eetien amine 3+; of Figure 1;

Figures 4 and 5 ar'etespectiveiy a plan view and an elevation oflthe swivel'head;

Figure '6' is an enlarged section on line 6- 5 of igure-2]; p

Figure 7 1s a" section in; line 1 of Figure 6 but with the cage rotated 180' degrees from its position in Figure 6;

Figure 8 is'a fragmen ar sectional View showing the pawl" engaged ,toiprevent relative rotatioh of the headjand' handle; i v

Figure 9 is a; similar section, showing the pawl engaged for ratchet connection of thehead and n nd H .s

Figure 10 is'ase'ction'on' line 10 -10 ofEig'ure 4. Briefly stated; m ie titnpontemplates an improved tool-operating handle in 'which a s'e"-' available for rotat'i a 01 I n Y axis) by" mean or ers'a ac'tion" parts, this ratcheting actionlma'y be.,(';hii=.'v Tedi over a plurality lected direction orient-way; ratcheting actiorij is: on a tool-actuating of angular relationshipssetwen ne handle axis and' the tool-actuating" axis,"- extending frorn substantially 90 tosuhstantiallyan aligned relationio ftheseiaxes; F !or tli'ealigiied orstraight' on relatliinbfthei'hagfidl a dTO'f thftbbl-a'dtli ating' axialproy i M handle t'o the too a or siit at in this parment' with the; axis of the handle ticular relation no ratchet action can take place, i i n Ord n y re i hi A t. Referring now more particularly to the drawg n ih n al. l.9.-. s natesva handle. ne and. of w ic is qrmedas m rsbh calsb ke element t. R ebl s is se w thes cketcele-i n I I a ,lz-h v neaec o Q1.. ied nt' slot. I3 0116 .te mmal. 915 ,iwh ri s th xi p socket element l l perpendicular to said element, C co nesw ih lem n l te r vide a b l e n r spherica s etihousina he: 'q l a ev n fi 9 o ec h eo eau ns projecting ihrq hs pfi. 3 an ada ed a a i 9 11 n er h n e ble re e tio of qta ty tools such' as socket wrench lj shown gtted lines in i e a liresenmhq n et me t H s irq a in cr ss s ctionaa dmh s; a l groove 1 8 rec ivin a choi'da in 19. mounted n. was t ser n to...cqn;nept the cage and w ke; elem nttwhile Pe m ttin e a' five o e h reqi-i .Tlfhe eecis, yi ri b held in either Qfi iW 0 sp q dpo itipn y. a s ng pressed detent carried by elenient II and eni ie i i i -ism? q f o w The sphere I' i has longitudinal grooves 22 23, the groove 22 beginning and ending ata point ent th r le roi e snhe i r-b trin i an and in i s cent al 1? iioni't ha edi on h f t er wieqm rpioi qr h re ee en f mirnes' iinri en l a ro e basi a he a e la iud '1 22 a te m na a pe tsa zd oth r 618 v -i preferably: short or connn uniation with one an: other or T Y[-.? P WQ; s a A Pivotally mounted. at 24 in a slot 25in sock element |l is a: pawl Z li nay g a zsingle ratchet rib 21' disposed. in a. eneral.. plane including the?) axis of tang |5 l ri ki s a depthat lea t i h pi'av d ns 'ifefi' m i ie i v 2.2 e d3 -H .911? 316 62 m is perpendicular for the full depth of th e -r15 while the other allis is perpendicii f 'a" i nce u lwrth thedepth ofgro es tions of groove; 2 outer face of the-rib b a illi pby e PM w en ead I positioned with itsaxis in long tud nal 5 sblid li i 'in i s ire and shallow portions of gr ne of c t on-w th enter only the" gait por groove, both walls 28 and 29 of the rib are brought into opposition to the walls of groove 22a as shown in Figure 8, and the handle l and sphere M with its tang and applied tool are locked against relative rotation and the tool operates as a fixed screw driver or wrench. When, however, the position of the axis of the sphere is altered (within its range of displacement permitted by the sector or quadrant slot l3) as suggested by the positions A and B of Figures 2 and 3, the ratchet rib 21 is engageable only in the shallow portions of groove 22 and in grooves 23. Due to the depth of these grooves, propelling engagement between the pawl and sphere will occur in one direction only and a ratchet action results. Since the sector or quadrant slot I3 is in a general plane normal to a plane including the axis of the cage l2 and retaining sockets 2|,

the position of head 14 is reversed with relation to the pawl when the cage is shifted from one to the other of its 180 positions, thereby reversing the ratchet action.

It will be seen that I have described a relatively simple device permitting a selected direction of one-way ratcheting action, with extensive angular freedom (in the nature of limited universal action) between an operating handle and the axis of a tool actuator that is rotated thereby. With my construction, the handle is free to assume any one of a variety of universalaction relationships with the tool-actuator axis, and there is no locking against sliding movement within slot 13, so that the universal-action may be used in a single ratchet-action stroke, if desired. However, when the tool is employed in the aligned or straight-on relation, the handle I0 is locked against rotation with respect to the tool actuator l5 (by virtue of pawl faces 28-49 riding the deep part 22 of ratchet slot 22). and no ratchet action is available.

Since the construction shown is obviously capable of considerable modification without departing from the spirit of my invention I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself to the construction herein disclosed except as hereinafter claimed.

I claim:

1.' In combination, a handle, a cage carried by one end of said handle and forming with said end of said handle a ball-retainer socket, said cage including a wall having an arcuate slot therein converging toward the axis of said handle, a spherical ratchet head mounted in said socket and including a tool-attachment tang projecting through the arcuate slot in said cage, and coacting elements including a pawl retained by said head and handle and having ratcheting engagement with said head throughout a substantial angular displacement of the axis of said tang with respect to the axisof said handle, said pawl having non-rotating locking engagement with said head for the aligned relation of the tang and handle axes.

2. In combination, a handle, a cage selectively rotatably mounted upon one end of said handle and forming with said end of said handle a ballretainer socket, said cage including a wall having an arcuate slot therein and said slot extending over a substantial arc passing through and in alignment with the axis of said handle, a spherical head mounted in said socket and having a radially extending tool-attachment tang projecting through said arcuate slot, ratchet means including a pawl carried by said handle, said pawl being operatively engageable with said head throughout an extensive angular range of displacement of the axes of said handle and of said tang, said pawl being reversibly engageable with said head upon relative angular movement of said cage and handle between two positions on opposite sides of the plane of said slot and of the cage axis, and means coacting between said cage and said handle for retaining said cage and handle in a selected one of said two positions. r

3. In combination, a handle including a cage mounted upon one end of said handle and forming with said end of said handle a socket, said cage including a wall having a longitudinal sector slot therein,- a spherical head mounted in said socket and having a radially extending toolelement-attaching tang projecting through said slot, said slot extending through and in alignment with the axis of said handle, coacting key elements on said head and handle preventing relative rotation of said head and handle about their respective axes when the axes of said head and handle are in a longitudinally aligned relation and having ratchet engagement with one, another through an extensive angular displace-.

ment of said axes from such aligned rotation. 4. In combination, a handle including at one end a fixed concave socket surface, a cage ro-.

tatably engaged with said end of said handle,

and extending over said socket surface to form,

a ball-retainer socket, said cage having a sector slot longitudinal to the major axis of the socket,

and extending at one part thereof in alignment. with said axis, means to secure the cage and. handle against relative rotation in either of two,

angularly spaced relative positions, said two rela-- tive positions being on opposite sides of a plane including both the slot and said axis, whereby; the position of the slot with'relation to the socket: is reversed by movement of said cage from one; to the other of said positions, a spherical headi rotatably mounted in said socket and including tool-driving means projecting radially and through said slot, and pawl means carried said handle and reversibly engageable with said head by movement of the cage from one to the other of said positions.

5. In combination, a handle including a spherical socket having an arcuate slot therein, a sphere in said socket and including at one pole a tool-engaging tang projecting through said slot, said sphere further having a plurality of longitudinal grooves one of which has a central section traversing the other pole of the sphere and of greater depth than the end portions of said groove and of the remaining grooves, and a pawl element fixed with relation to the handle when engaged in the central portion of said groove and having ratchet engagement with said sphere when engaged with the ends of said groove or with remaining grooves.

6. In combination, a ball-head member including a ball head and a tool-attachment tang projecting radially from said ball head, operating means for driving said tang and including ahandle, retaining means carried by said handle and embracing said ball head in free-swivelling relation with said ball head, said retaining means having an arcuate slot through which said tang projects and over the arcuate extent of which said ball-head member may be angularly ad justed with respect to said handle, said slot extending over a substantial angular arc passing through alignment with the axis of said handle,

means for ratcheting said handle relatively to.

said ball-head member in a plurality of positions of said handle relative to said ball-head member, said positions being displaced from the position of axial alignment of said handle and of said tang, and means carried by said head and denying ratchet action between said head and handle in said aligned position.

7. In combination, a ball-head member including a ball head and a tool-attachment tang projecting radially from said ball head, operating means for driving said ball-head member and including a handle, housing means for said ball head at the end of said handle and in freeswivelling relation with said ball head, said housing means having an arcuate slot through which said tang projects and over the arcuate extent of which said ball-head member may be angularly adjusted with respect to said handle, said slot extending over an effective are passing through alignment with the axis of said handle 6 and extending to at least substantially the 90- degree relation between said tang and said handle, and ratchet means retained between said handle and ball-head member for driving said ball head and tang by said handle in a plurality of angular positions of said ball head and tang in said housing as permitted by said angular slot.

KARL E. QUEITZSCH.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,670,547 North May 22, 1928 2,092,345 Yuasa Sept. 7, 1937 2,503,373 Browning et al Apr. 11, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 610,903 France June 21, 1926 

